Matthew McConaughey Has No Idea What Washington's Logo Really Represents

Maybe Matthew McConaughey should think before he rambles, particularly when dismissing a social movement.

In a new interview with GQ, McConaughey explained why he disagrees with the public outrage over the name of the Washington, D.C., football team's name. "We were all fine with it since the 1930s, and all of a sudden we go, 'No, gotta change it'?" he said. "It seems like when the first levee breaks, everybody gets on board."

Washington quarterback Sammy Baugh in 1937Uncredited/AP

What McConaughey misses, of course, is the fact that lots of things in the 1930s were problematic, and indeed, horrifying. Keep in mind that in the early 20th century, African-Americans across the South, including in McConaughey's home state of Texas, lived with the constant threat of harassment and even lynchings.

McConaughey expanded on his opinions, relating the controversy to other broad societal conversations. "It's like my feeling about gun control," he said. "'I get it. You have the right to have guns. But look, let's forget that right. Let's forget the pleasure you get safely on your range, because it's in the wrong hands in other places.'"

Because changing a discriminatory football name is clearly one and the same as running background checks for gun access.

"I love the [Washington] emblem," he told GQ. "I dig it. It gives me a little fire and some oomph."

This is the beloved logo that McConaughey means, the emblem that just puts a fire in his belly:

Alex Brandon/AP

That logo is an image of a "Redskin," a term generally considered offensive against Native Americans, particularly by Native Americans themselves. The term also recalls the practice of murdering Native Americans and collecting their scalps for a bounty. One hopes that doesn't give anybody a thrill.

The Twitter account Redskins Facts, for whom the Washington team has paid for advertising, took the opportunity to publicize that an Academy Award-winning actor supports the team's name and logo.